Whatcom County task force weighs jail scenarios as budget ceilings shrink
Whatcom County’s Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force reviewed four jail‑planning scenarios Feb. 23, 2026, with staff saying scenario 2 will be used as a baseline while officials rush to refine capacity, costs and behavioral‑health programming before an April decision. Members debated bed counts, affordability and long‑term operating costs.
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Task‑force members spent the Feb. 23 meeting focused on reconciling programmatic goals with what staff called a sharply constrained budget, as consultants presented four program‑level jail scenarios meant to guide an April decision.
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